


Cold Kingdoms & Beating Hearts

by Runeblade



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Some ships will only have shiptease, basically this whole thing will probably be about Kairi/Sora and Kairi/Axel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-16 10:54:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8099434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runeblade/pseuds/Runeblade
Summary: Princess Kairi from the Destiny Islands Archipelago has to start a new life in the Twilight Kingdom, when her father trades her against freedom and piece for his realm. While her actual betrothed Vanitas is hard to love, she turns to his younger brother Sora. But he is not the only one who changes her world, because things get complicated when she also meets Axel, one of the princes' guards.





	1. The Arrival

Her new life would be a nightmare. At least, that’s what came to her mind when she looked out of the windows of her carriage and saw the already autumn colored leaves of this unknown kingdom outside. She was not familiar with this kind of season, with it’s gold and orange colors which made everything colorful. The young princess was used to her tropical islands, greens and blues, the sun and water - and she could feel the cold already although creeping through the doors of the carriage, she was sitting in there. Soon it would be winter here, which was apparently a harsh season and one she didn’t knew at all, so the princess did not know what she should expect from it. People just told her, that during winter the sun doesn’t set and it will always be day, even during night. The closest to getting a night was the blood red sunset, but there was no dawn or darkness anymore. At least during this time of the day Kairi expected to snow to get some actual color. But winter still seemed far away now.  
It had not been easy to leave her home, especially under these circumstances. Her father, the King of the Destiny Islands Archipelago was just afraid that the King of the Twilight Kingdom would beat him in a war, which he threatened her father with, so her father traded her for freedom and a secure future of the Archipelago. Thinking about this still hurt, because it was the first thing that came into her father’s mind and the King of the Twilight Kingdom certainly didn’t hesitate to accept this offer. Soon, she would also be betrothed to his oldest son and was on her way to this new strange life in a country with completely different customs.  
The only person coming with her was her handmaiden, Naminé, who also was not very happy about their cruel fate. Both girls were used to the hot weather, their spirits and rich mythology and religion, swimming, fishing and telling stories during a bonfire when all the tribes met that pledged their swords to her father. She missed her father. Even when he had hurt her. But this was better than a war - her people would not stand a chance against a real army. In fact, Kairi was already planning to get back to her home soon. For that she had to get to know the court and its people, before she could do something.  
“What are you thinking about?” Naminé suddenly asked her.  
It took Kairi some time to realize that Naminé had spoken to her, as she was still thinking about the Islands and her Ocean which she loved so much. No, she would never be able to leave it forever. “I was thinking about home.” she finally replied. “I can’t believe I have to exchange the warm water against this cold earth.”  
Naminé smiled at her, but it was a tired smile. Her handmaiden was able understand her because both of them grew up together, and they have never been somewhere else.  
“We have to accept the fact, that your father decided to make this agreement… Perhaps his sons aren’t that bad.” Naminé commented as she was looking out at the window again. The girl was probably thinking about these new colors she could draw very soon, Kairi guessed.  
She also remembered that the King of the Twilight Kingdom had two sons. She grimaced at the thought. Even if Naminé tried to stay positive, Kairi couldn’t. She came to this country as a future bride for one of them and she knew nothing about her future husband. There were already many stories about the King, his cold heart but fair rule. It was a mystery to her why someone with a cold hard could be good ruler, but she would find this out pretty soon herself. And deep down inside her she was afraid her betrothed would be the same as the King.  
Suddenly the carriage came to a halt and made her stop thinking these strange thoughts about her future life. “We have arrived at the palace, ladies!” one their guards told them from the outside. Both girls looked at each other. Their life would now change completely when they left the carriage. Good bye old days of wearing flowers in the hair and singing songs with a guitar in the afternoon shadows - hello strict etiquettes, tight dresses and wedding preparations. 

Some maids were showing the palace to the two girls and soon Kairi was separated from Naminé. They would see each other in the evening, after her dinner with the two princes, again which felt like eternity to Kairi. The princess herself was pushed into her glorious room: Everything was bordeaux red and cream colored. The tapestries, the carpets, the walls…There were fancy ornaments everywhere, candle holders in gold and the bed was twice as big as the one at her home. It all was very… striking and maybe a bit too dark, like the rest of the palace, to put it nicely, so Kairi went straight to her big windows, found a door and opened it. She was standing on a balcony and took a deep breath of fresh air. She didn’t know where exactly in the palace she was, but she could see the water gardens, which were already gold and brown and gardeners prepared the garden for winter. The princess maybe could feel at home in the water gardens when it was summer. A time that was very far away for her. And maybe she won’t be staying here for so long anyways.  
The heavy door creaked open and a maid walked inside her room. “I have a new dress for tonight for you, my lady.” She told Kairi and put the dress on the bed. It seemed to be dark red, almost black - only a thin, golden belt was the highlight of it. Kairi looked at the dress. This was something she wouldn’t wear at home, it was too dark and she would not be able to move a lot in it. But she was a guest here and she had to accept it. “If you need help just ring one of the bells.” The maid explained, while she pointed at some cords that were swinging besides the big, intimidating door, which she came through a few minutes ago. “Someone will come as soon as possible to aid you with everything.” With these words the maiden already had vanished again, leaving Kairi alone in the big room.  
The princess turned around again, looking outside. If she wouldn’t know it better, she felt afraid about the things that were to come.

It was surprising that the dinner this evening was held in one of the smaller dining rooms. Kairi had expected that the King would welcome her personally, with a big banquet but nothing of that had happened. Instead she was the first to arrive at the dining room and one of the servants had to inform her, that due to unforeseen circumstances the King won’t take part. But his sons would be there in a minute.  
Three golden plates were put on one of the table ends and she wondered if it would be unfriendly to just sit down at the head of the table, but some servants looked at her with angry eyes, so she decided against it. The room was pretty dark - and with the darkness of the night outside it was even darker - and many flower decorations were put on the middle of the table. They didn’t look so fresh anymore. The room was almost decorated like her own, heavy chairs, ornaments, chandeliers and candle holders in gold. A bit of more vibrant colors would have done wonders.  
Waiting for the boys felt like eternity (so much for the “in a minute”) and at some point there were no servants in the room anymore - she could have just left. But it would take her some time to find Naminé again and find a way out of this kingdom. It was impossible to do this in a short time, without any plans. She sighed and in this moment the door opened. Two young boys had entered the room and they almost looked similar. The only thing that were different for those two was their hair color: one was brunette and the other black haired. The black haired boy also had intimidating yellow eyes, which made feel Kairi uneasy. And his dark clothes didn’t help his look either. He was wearing some rings and accessories. If she would have to describe him, she would have called him a dark, rich prince. The other one had blue eyes and a big, warm smile and somehow she already felt more pulled toward him. He was not wearing much accessories or jewelry and when he entered his clothes were the only bright spot in the room. With their entry it was obvious which of these two was the one who had responsibilities. So she could already guess who the older one of these two was.  
“Good evening, my lady.” the black haired one said while he took her right hand and gave a kiss on it - like a true gentleman. All of this behaviour was new to the princess, who was used to run around the islands with boys that weren’t royal and had no idea what etiquette was. The Twilight Kingdom had so different customs… “I hope you enjoyed the journey to the palace and hopefully you like it here. My name is Prince Vanitas and this…” He pointed at the brunette boy, who was still smiling at Kairi, “... this is my younger brother Sora.”  
Silence fell over them as Kairi thought about what she should say next. “Thank you… erm, yes. The journey was long and your kingdom is… very different.”  
Sora smiled at her, still standing behind his brother. “Don’t be afraid. If you need something we will be here for you.” he told her.  
His older brother looked over his shoulder, with a cold smile. “Well, at least he will be there for you. I have to help father very often.” He took her hand again, still smiling that cold smile. “I also guess you’re my precious betrothed princess.” Something in his voice almost felt like he was mocking her.  
“Erm… yes, I think so.” she said. During the journey she didn’t know what to expect of her betrothed, this was a completely new experience for her. The boys at home liked to play with her but when it came to love and all this strange stuff, they stayed away from her. She was kinda sad that she probably will never marry because of love, but because of an agreement between two kings. Her eyes wandered to the younger one, Sora. He still had a warm aura around him and she felt… Disappointed? Angry? She didn’t know. “Prince Vanitas, I guess we will spending some time together then? When your King allows it.”  
The older prince sat down at the head of the table and gestured to her and his brother to do so too. “Well, my father is an important person, so he has much to do and obviously needs much help. So, I can’t guarantee you that we will have much time for each other.”  
Bummer. Or not. Kairi still wasn’t sure if she wants to spend time with this person. She obviously had to do this, but at the end of the day she would be happy to get back to her room again. “Ah, that’s bad. I was looking forward to it.”  
Servants were already putting full plates of food on their table - everything more delicious than the one before. Kairi guessed this was the first part of the day she really liked - at least the food was not that bad. Not waiting at all, she already started to eat and tried to keep the conversation up with the two boys. She told them a few things about her home, but in the end tried not to tell them more as was necessary.  
“When will I be able to meet the King?” she finally asked the two.  
Vanitas answered before Sora. “He will let you know when he has the time. My father already advised me that it is more important now that me and you will bond.”  
Kairi noticed a strange look in Sora’s eyes as he looked at his brother. The little one was probably jealous. Must be had to come second in line for anything, but it was better than getting traded for political advantages.  
After the main courses were brought back to the kitchen and the princess was able to enjoy her dessert in silence, she looked at the two boys when she was finished. “So, I still need someone to show me around your palace, your highnesses.” she told them.  
“Sora can do that.” Vanitas laughed at him which lead to turning the cheeks of his younger brother red. “Tomorrow morning he will get you. And now, Sora, if you please.” he waved with his hand, dismissing his brother like a servant. Sora that as he was told, said goodnight and left.  
Kairi turned to Vanitas. He was up to something and she didn’t know to what exactly. All of this came so sudden.  
“Well my dear.” he said and her blood ran cold. “I am not very happy that we have to marry. I will make it really clear to you, that I just care to be King one day.”  
Kairi was actually speechless, she did not expect him to be so direct. But from his first impression, the feeling was mutual. And his words now did not make it better.  
The prince stood up from his chair and started to walk around a little bit. “I will also not accept that you will get in my way.” He turned around and walked right in front to her chair, bent down and came a little bit too close to her. “But you have certain duties to do as my betrothed and future wife. That’s all I will be expecting from you.”  
Wow. Kairi looked at him. So, he already had made it clear that he expected certain things from here. And she was not stupid to guess which things these were. “We’ll see.” she dared to say after a few seconds.  
Vanitas smiled at her. “Goodnight, my dear.” He waved at her and left the room too. 

When Kairi was on her way back to her room she was still thinking about Vanitas. So, he was like his father, she guessed. She had guessed a lot today, she realized. Too much guessing. Tomorrow she would meet Sora. Tonight he seemed like the friendly version of Vanitas, but she was not sure anymore if this all was not an act to fool her. But she was certain that she would have to take care of Vanitas. This would complicate things.


	2. The Palace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a feeling that this chapter did not turn out as good as I wanted. I did some changes to the story (I cut a big side story part, which would have been too much). So I hope the next ones will be better!

When the door was opened, again with an annoying and loud creak, and someone opened the curtains of the windows to let light inside the dark room, Kairi didn’t know where she was. She knew immediately that something was wrong - she didn’t own such a soft bed at home. Only slowly she realized that she was somewhere else in a kingdom she didn’t know at all and that she would spend some time with the younger prince today.  
She looked up and saw Naminé standing a few feet away from her bed. She was the only maid in the room and was probably here to help her dress. The girls looked at each other for a moment and the next second Kairi was out of her bed and hugging her handmaiden. Yesterday evening she wasn’t there and Kairi had been worried about her, but she seemed to be okay.  
“I hope everything is okay.” Kairi said, while checking Naminé for any hints that something was wrong.  
The other girl just smiled. “Yes, everything is okay. They showed me the servants quarters yesterday and I had a lot to catch up with.” she explained, while she helped Kairi out of her nightgown. “I have heard you have met the princes - how are they?!” Naminé suddenly asked. But it was obvious that sooner or later she would ask about them. Naminé was kinda curious about boys - and having not only one but two princes around was exiting, Kairi herself had to admit that.  
She didn’t know how she should explain those two characters to Naminé. “Hm… how do I say this… they’re definitely interesting, yes…” she started. “... the younger one, Sora, seems to be nice. I will meet him later.” Naminé smiled at her as she showed Kairi some dresses for today. Kairi decided to go for a green dress with gold lace and decor. “But Prince Vanitas… he… he makes me uncomfortable.”  
Her handmaiden watched her carefully. “Uncomfortable?” she asked. She was probably catching the hints Kairi was giving away with her choice of words.  
“Yes, he already made it clear that he doesn’t care if he marries me and that he expects… things from me.” she admitted. Usually she could tell Naminé everything.  
The other girl looked at Kairi shocked. “Things?” she asked again and when Kairi nodded she continued: “Try to stay away from him as much as you can. And maybe don’t be alone with him in a room.”  
“I was already thinking that too.” Kairi told Naminé when she put her dress on and her handmaiden helped her to make it fit perfectly. She was led to a boudoir where Naminé would do her hair.  
“I hope Prince Sora will be a better fit.” Naminé said absentmindedly.  
Kairi almost laughed about this.  
Confused her handmaiden asked, “What is wrong?”  
“It was already decided that I will marry Prince Vanitas and it will happen, no matter what. I also… don’t plan to stay here so long to do any experiments with boys.”  
Naminé stopped working on Kairi’s hair, she was almost done anyways. “You want to leave? As much as I want to leave too… I don’t think this is a good idea.” Naminé was looking at her princess’ reflection in the mirror, concerned.  
Not able to explain why, Kairi got angry and stood up. “So you rather want to stay here and accept the fact that others toss us around like toys?”  
Naminé shook her head. “I am sorry, I did not want to hurt you. But… I don’t want you to do stupid things.”  
Kairi didn’t know what she should say about this. She had expected her handmaiden would go with her, without thinking twice about it, but apparently the princess had been wrong.  
“Well, I should go now.”  
Naminé nodded. “Sora is awaiting you in the dining room from yesterday, for breakfast.” The girl said, but Kairi was already out of the room before she could finished the sentence.

While Kairi was on her way to the dining room she was thinking about Naminé. She had calmed down a bit now, but she still felt… betrayed? Could she actually say this? She wasn’t sure, but she knew one thing: She wouldn’t give up to convince Naminé to try to flee with her from this place. Naminé herself didn’t seem to be happy about Prince Vanitas, she had to comprehend what Kairi was thinking. But the princess was already expecting a big pile of work, before Naminé would finally accept her plan.  
Kairi walked past some guards that were looking after her. The palace was not only new to her, she was also new to the people that were living in this palace. She had already noticed some of the looks some maids had given her or the servants from yesterday evening. It would take some time until everybody got used to her.  
After minutes that felt like an endless journey from her room to the dining room, she had finally arrived and pushed to door open. In contrast to yesterday evening and to her surprise, someone was already there. At first, she was afraid that it was Vanitas, but then she realized that this was actually Sora, sitting on one of the chairs. Only two sets of cutlery were put on the table, so it was safe to say that only the two of them would have breakfast this morning.  
“Good Morning.” said Sora, as he noticed Kairi. He almost jumped from his chair, smiling.  
Kairi nodded. “Morning.” she said, which was anything else but ladylike.  
Sora walked up to her, took her hand and led her to one of the chairs, where he helped her sit down. “You, know, I can do this alone, I don’t need this…” she commented.  
“But this is… what a prince should do.” answered Sora, sitting down on his own chair.  
Some servants started to serve the breakfast. They had toast, fruits, eggs and a thing called bacon for her - which she loved from her first bite on. She was focused on her food.  
“Well…” Sora started again, “... what would you like to see today?”  
Kairi had actually to think about this. “The gardens maybe,” she finally said, “and maybe everything else that you think could be of interest.” The princess had no idea what could be interesting in this palace, her own home was so different. She was used to live in a small cabin close to the sea, with the other members of her tribe, there was no room for splendor like you could find here.  
Sora still smiled at her. “Well, I will find something that you will like.”  
Kairi tried to smile at him too. But she wasn’t sure if he was honest to her. After what Vanitas had said… She cleared her throat. “You brother is a bit… special, right?” she carefully asked.  
The prince nodded without hesitation. “He is the first born, so he has a lot of commitments already. I mean, he will one day sit on the throne.” He looked at his leftovers from his breakfast. “I have much more free time than him and not all eyes are on me. I guess one day I will marry a girl and live somewhere else. My brother will have you and the palace. But at least I can chose who I marry, unlike him.”  
Kairi looked at him with a blank face.  
“Nothing against you, really!” he added fast, after he had noticed her look.  
She pushed her plate a bit away from her, signaling that she was finished with eating. “But you don’t sound happy.” she pointed out.  
Sora looked away - which Kairi found confusing. Apparently the always smiling prince also had a darker side. And the darker side was probably called “I am jealous of my brother.”  
“You should not worry too much about everything. You’re planning to much in this palace. I have learned that life will never goes as you think it might.” she told him.  
Sora smiled again, but it was a tired smile. “We should now start our tour, shouldn’t we?”  
Kairi nodded - she wanted to know more about him now, her curiosity striking again.

It was cold outside today. It had already been cold yesterday when they arrived, but it felt like the temperature fell a few additional degrees since yesterday. Sora had taken her to the gardens, where some of the gardeners were preparing it for the coming winter. When they passed they greeted them. While they were walking and Sora explained some statues or plants, Kairi tried to take a look at possible ways where she could get out of the palace. But she couldn’t see any, so she decided it would take some more walk through the palace to find something useful.  
“So, how is your home? I haven’t asked yet.” Sora asked suddenly, when they were entering the palace again, because it got too cold for both of them.  
Kairi smiled. But it was not a honest one. “Well, you were occupied talking about the gardens. I didn’t want to disturb you.” she told him.  
Sora shook his head. “Well, now is your time to shine, princess!” he offered her his arm, which she took.  
“Okay… well, it’s always warm there. And it’s bright and colorful and I love the ocean, the smell and sound of it…” She almost added that she missed this, but in the last minute she caught herself. “I hope that when me and your brother are married that we can go back there. Maybe we can take you with us, because you need to be there to understand what I mean. Our culture is connected with the nature and there is nothing better than sitting in the night under the stars and watch them.”  
Kairi suddenly realized that Sora started to stare - probably she had a dreamy look on her face while she was talking about home. She shook her head a bit, to get back to reality.  
“This sounds amazing. I really look forward to see it in person one day.” He told her, with another bright smile. Was he always smiling? Had he another expressions? Was he a magical construct? Kairi didn’t knew, she just wondered why he always smiled at her. It was annoying.  
Sora wanted to show her the throne room, but when they walked through the galleries, past pictures of him, his brother and father and a woman she thought his mother was and other family members, they passed a strange couple, standing there. One had a guitar in his hand, the other - a blonde woman - looked like she was part of the guard. Both were around the same height and Kairi guessed that the woman was a few centimeters taller. They seemed to fight.  
“Not again.” Sora said and went straight for them. “Are you fighting again?” He sounded exhausted.  
Kairi stayed a bit behind Sora, but looked curious over his shoulder.  
“No, I just made Demyx clear that he better doesn’t write a song about me.” The woman said, in an aggressive tone.  
The man she just called Demyx smiled slyly. You could guess that he certainly wouldn’t listen to the woman.  
Sora talked again. “Larxene, you know every song he writes is about you.”  
Larxene, who had short blonde hair and two strands that stood apart from her head, threw her hands in the air. “I give up. When you both are in the room I have already lost.” she said and looked at Demyx, who laughed.  
“I guess you can leave Sora.” Demyx finally said. “I just need to do a bit more persuading to write just another one - or two.”  
“Stop it!” Larxene said and punched him on his upper right arm. He acted like it had hurt, but it probably didn’t.  
Sora waved at them, again with a big smile and they left them alone. Kairi looked at him questioningly.  
“Those were Larxene and Demyx. She is part of my father’s guards and he is your bard. The whole palace knows that they’re a couple, but they just don’t want to admit it.”  
Kairi chuckled.  
“Hey, you’re chuckling. This is the first reaction to something I see from you.” Sora pointed out and Kairi stopped again.  
She continued walking, without saying anything and Sora didn’t say anything at all too. He was probably thinking he did something wrong. Sora followed her the whole time, although Kairi was hoping to get some free time finally, but he did not hear her prayers.  
“Is she the princess?” A woman suddenly asked and Kairi startled. She turned around and saw a blue haired woman, smiling at Sora. She was tall and beautiful and had a warm aura around her. Sora seemed to enjoy her company. If Kairi wouldn’t have seen the pictures from before, she would have thought that this woman was his mother, as she had a motherly-feeling to her.  
Sora nodded. “Yes, this is Princess Kairi from the Destiny Islands Archipelago.” He explained to her.  
The woman did a short curtsy. “A pleasure. My Name is Aqua and I am the magician of this place.” Kairi looked surprised at her - an actual magician! Aqua must have seen her surprise, as she continued to explain: “Yes, I am one of the last few magicians of the Twilight Kingdom - I also take apprentices.”  
“Xion is very nice.” Sora said. “Uhm, Aqua - maybe you can give Kairi some magic lessons? I guess she would love some change.” He couldn’t be more right.  
Aqua smiled at her. “Of course. Xion would also be pleased to get some company during the lessons.” She gave Kairi directions to her rooms and left the both again alone.  
The princess was excited to get some magic lessons - and maybe it would be an advantage if she would flee from the palace soon. 

It was late afternoon when Sora brought her back to her room, so she could change for dinner. “I hope you have enjoyed the day.” She heard him say, while she entered her room. He did not follow, because it would have just caused stupid rumours.  
And she had to be honest: She had actually liked the tour today, Sora was more acceptable than his brother. “Yes, I liked it a lot. Maybe you can show me more?”  
“That would be my pleasure.” He said, took one of her hands and gave her a kiss on it. Kairi tried not to turn red.  
Kairi pulled her hand away from his, looking at it for a short second and then looking back at him, in his bright blue eyes. “Well, I guess we will see us later for the dinner.” She finally said. Sora just nodded and turned around.  
What he could not then see was, that Kairi had given him a honest smile.


	3. The mean, dark and rich prince

Days went by and usually Sora was the one, leading Kairi through the Palace and taught her a lot about the history if his country and told her stories about some people’s portraits. Some were funny, others adventurous or even sad. She would lie if she would tell someone, that she didn’t liked it to spend time with him. She even made up with Naminé - but she still was not eager to get away from this place. Kairi still hoped she could change the mind of her handmaid. In the meantime the King had invited her too and she was curious about who he was.

She would meet the King in the evening and Vanitas would be with her. Since she had arrived and had this unpleasant encounter with him, she had not spoken to him again. So, this would lead to a very awkward situation.  
Naminé had helped her into a dark blue dress, with a nice wave pattern. It was a present from her father, before she had left. So she could still feel at home while making a new one here. Probably it was a dangerous statement, but nobody could say something against a pattern on a dress. Hopefully.  
Sora had come to get her and lead her to the throne room. She actually knew where it was thanks to him, but as Sora was not allowed to be inside, he had told her to go with her at least. And she was happy, the palace was very creepy and intimidating when it was dark outside. Every shadow seemed to be alive. And thanks to the many baroque details on the pillars and the portraits the shadows had strange forms.  
“I hope you like him.” he said, when they were close. Sora really seemed to worry this, but Kairi worried not so much about it.  
She smiled at him - a genuine one again, they happened more often these days. Even Naminé had noticed. “Don’t worry about it. As long as he doesn’t want to kill me, everything is okay.” She could live with someone who disliked her.  
Sora nodded. “I try…” he said. It sounded like he wanted to add more, but he had seen Vanitas waiting in front of the big, heavy doors of the throne room. Kairi had noticed him now too and sighed. “I will wait in the dining room for you two.” he said, smiled at her and left her alone with Vanitas.  
The last remaining steps she had to go alone. “Good evening, prince Vanitas.” she said, trying to keep a smile on her face, but in his presence it was hard. Maybe if she would have spent as much time with him than with Sora, then it could be a lot easier. Or not. Kairi expected him to actually don’t be so different from the image he wanted to show to everyone.  
"Good evening.” she heard him say. “My father is already waiting for us.” He offered his arm to her, which she took and let him lead her inside.  
In the past days Sora had shown her the throne room one time, at day, which displayed bright red walls and gold everywhere. Everybody who would come in here for the first time would be intimidated. But now in the dark, everything seemed to be black and candle holder didn’t spend a lot of light in this big room.  
The king was sitting on his throne, a bit bored as Kairi would have guessed from is posture, but when he noticed the two, he sat up straight again. “Vanitas.” His deep voice echoed through the room. It was a very deep voice, not one that frightens you, but one that could read bedtime stories very well.  
“Good evening, father.” Vanitas replied. He let go of Kairi and stepped aside. “May I introduce Princess Kairi from the Destiny Islands Archipelago and my… future betrothed.” Kairi did a curtsy and went up again first when the King allowed her to do, which didn’t take that long.  
“My pleasure princess. I am very delighted to finally get to know you. I hope your stay in the palace is so far acceptable?”  
Kairi nodded. “Yes, indeed your majesty. Prince Sora has already shown me a lot, since Prince Vanitas is occupied with important stuff.”  
The King raised an eyebrow and looked at his son - apparently he didn’t know that Vanitas was not spending time with Kairi. Interesting. “Well, I hope he will have soon time for you. You can’t keep a lady waiting. So… I hope you enjoy your time with Prince Sora.”  
“Yes, I do.” she answered. “He is, very nice to me.”  
An exhausted laugh could be heard coming from the King. “Ah yes… he is just like his mother.” he said. “Well, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”  
Kairi looked at the King and then at Vanitas. “What, your majesty?”  
“My birthday is approaching soon. And I will have a big celebration in the palace going on. During this celebration, I want to announce your engagement to Vanitas. Make it official to all family members and faithful followers of mine.”  
The young princess nodded. “This is… okay.” she said, although she was not sure at all if it really was okay. “That shouldn’t be a problem. I am already excited for the celebration!”  
The King smiled at her. Kairi had thought he would be as unfriendly as Vanitas, but apparently, he was a very calm person. On the other side, she didn’t know him on the battlefield. If he wouldn’t be a big danger, she wouldn’t be here now.  
“Well, I still have some work that needs my attention tonight and I guess our guest is hungry. So, Vanitas. Princess Kairi.” The King said, while he stood up. Kairi did a curtsy again, until he had left the room.  
When she looked up again Vanitas was looking at her. “Let’s go, my dear.”  
They were in the hallways, when after some very long minutes Vanitas finally spoke to her again: “I think this was not necessary.”  
“Excuse me?”  
Vanitas turned around and looked at her - something angry in his eyes. “You told my father that you have spent time with Sora instead of me.”  
So, this was it why he apparently was angry. Kairi stepped back, who knew what this prince was capable of. “And?” she asked.  
“Well, he thought I was spending time with you - you realize he can marry you off to my brother?”  
Kairi stood perplexed there and looked at Vanitas. “But I am betrothed to you…”  
“Yes you are,” he almost screamed. “And you belong to me, not to anybody else.”  
The princess shook her head in disbelief. “What? I do not belong to anyone, Vanitas.” She did not care how she addressed him. In the end he was just an angry boy who did not get what he wanted. “Maybe your father would be right no let me marry your brother as he knows how to treat a woman like a human!”  
Vanitas looked at her like he wanted to kill her, right in this moment. In the next, he had already pushed her to the cold wall. “Say that again and I will make you regret that!”  
Kairi’s heart was beating fast, she was terrified by this young man and she just wanted to get away from him. “You… you should accept that you don’t get everything you want just because you’re the firstborn prince!” she almost screamed at him.  
“I can get what I want,” he said, and let his hands slide over her body. Kairi stopped breathing for a moment. She hated Vanitas so much, he really thought he could own her, like a piece of furniture, no, more like a piece of jewelry, because he could show her off later when he was king.  
And then something inside her changed. She could not let this happen to her - she knew how to handle boys. So, she did the only thing that would help her get away from him: she kicked him between his legs. Hard.  
Vanitas screamed out and let go of her to touch his precious parts. While he was doing this she took the chance and ran away from him. Past the throne room, past everything Sora had shown her. She did not care where she was headed too and sooner or later she was outside in the cold, somewhere in the garden. No lights were around, so the garden was almost pitch black and she didn’t notice in which part she actually was. But she decided to keep running as she was not sure if Vanitas was already following with a bunch of guards to get her. And then, who knew what he would do to her.  
She had been right all along - she should have left as soon as possible. Spending time with Sora had apparently distracted her too much - although it was a mystery for her why it was happening at all.  
The cold was already unbearable, her breaths forming small clouds, while she was running. The princess was not used to this form of weather and stopped in some part of woods. It looked like they were parts of the palace, as she hadn’t reached a gate or fence yet.  
She looked around. That a forest was here was unknown to her and she felt suddenly very lost in this dark place. Kairi also didn’t knew anymore from where she had come. “Damn.” she said and raised her skirt a bit, so she could walk better. This dress had proved very annoying while she had been running from Vanitas and it was still annoying now. She missed the pants and short skirts from home.  
Suddenly there was a noise and she stopped again. “Who is there?” she asked reluctantly. Nobody answered. She feared that an animal was living out here - but she was still on the grounds of the palace, wasn’t she?  
Long minutes went by until she decided she should continue to walk. But after a few steps there was the sound again. She turned around again and this time somebody was standing right in front of her and in the next minute this person was attacking her.

It took her a few seconds to open her eyes again and it took her some more time to realize that somebody was sitting on her. But more importantly, this person was holding a weapon against her throat, the cold steel giving her shivers. It was hard to see in the dark who this person was, but he was heavy - so she guessed they were taller than her.  
“Well, where do you want to go?” a man asked her.  
She grimaced before she answered him. “I want to leave! Let me go!”  
The man laughed hard. “I don’t think the king or the princes would like this!” Suddenly a flame showed up besides his head, revealing that gorgeous face and fire-red hair of this person. Kairi could feel how warmth was suddenly creeping in every part of her body, especially in a very interesting spot.  
“I don’t care what they say… I can’t take it anymore… I want to go home!”  
The man took the weapon away, some kind of wheel with knifes on it? She had no idea how this one was called, she was not used to these kind of weapons. He was still smiling at her and finally helped her to get up. After she was finally up again, he led her to a small cabin. There was almost nothing in the cabin but an oil lamp, some hay and a table.  
“I am really sorry for this mess here, princess. But let’s say… I have to do my guard shifts here at the moment. Somebody has to look out for princesses who want to run away and get lost in this part of the forest.” He said with a big smile on his face.  
Kairi was not sure how she should feel about this. She just stood here, looked around in the cabin until her eyes landed on the fire above his hands, which he was guiding to the oil lamp, to get some light.  
The man looked at her, after he had lightened up the lamp and noticed her looks. “When I came here Aqua helped me a lot with fire magic. Maybe she can teach it to you too?”  
The princess stood in the room. “You seem to know me. Who are you?” She finally dared to ask.  
“My Name is Axel,” he said, “and I am part of the Royal Guards here. Usually you can see me with the princes as I am supposed to guard them…”  
“... but you’re not.” Kairi crossed her arms while she was saying it.  
Axel smiled again, very brightly. “Yes, very observant. Well, I did some things that have me suspended for some time from this duty.”  
Kairi could not hide her tired smile. At least there was somebody else here that did not accept the rules completely. “I wonder what you did.”  
He shook his head. “Nothing a princess should know of.” When he laughed again, his eyes were bright. Apparently he did not take anything too serious. “But I wonder what you did that you wanted to leave.”  
Kairi’s smile vanished, which Axel noticed and stopped smiling too. “It’s not what I did, it’s what one of the princes did.”  
“Ah, let me guess… Vanitas?”  
Kairi nodded.  
Axel sighed. “He can be… hard to understand. When their mother died… Things changed for them. But I guess this sounds like I am trying to validate his actions. Which I am not. But I am saying you should stay.”  
The princess shook her head. “I can’t.”  
He stepped closer to her. “Yes you can. You are a princess and you can’t run from responsibilities.”  
Kairi laughed, but it was everything else than a happy laugh. She sounded tired. “Well, and how can Vanitas stay away from me?”  
Axel thought about that question for a few seconds. He could see that Kairi was afraid of Vanitas and he felt sorry for her. But then he had an idea, and smiled at her.  
Kairi looked up to him, hoping she would not turn red. “What?” she asked.  
“I could teach you how to fight with daggers… swords and your body.” He winked at her and she turned red, when the rising heat was indicating anything. “Aqua can do the magic part.”  
The princess thought about this offer. “You would do that for me? But you… you are supposed to guard the Princes and we don’t know each other.” She could not believe that a stranger could be so nice to her. Not at this place.  
“I know how Vanitas is. And I think he should learn one or two lessons too. When you learn with me and Aqua and stay close to Sora then nothing can happen to you,” he said while he put an arm around her, “and you should get some sleep. You need to calm down.”  
Kairi nodded. “When can we start?”  
“Well, I start my shift here in the evening. Maybe after your dinner here? Then nobody will suspect something.” He winked at her again and Kairi suddenly got aware that he had still his arm around her und pushed her a bit into him and she enjoyed to touch him like this… “I bring you back. I will get you tomorrow so you don’t get lost in the forest again.”

When Kairi returned to her room she wandered directly to her bed and fell down on it. Her stay in this palace turned more and more into a strange experience. She had felt strange around this Axel guy tonight, nothing she felt around Sora. She wondered what the upcoming days would bring her. But she could feel that some change was coming.

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my mother language, so I will do a lot of mistakes I guess. But comments & help in this matter are always welcome (I mean, I want to get better :D).


End file.
